Month: November 2016

The Community of Creation : expanding the circle of compassion

Friday 24 March 2017 – Sunday 26 March 2017

At the Quaker Study Centre – Woodbrooke

Ensuite Fee: £238.00, Standard Fee: £218.00

Course Details

Are you concerned with animal suffering? Do you question the moral justifications for their ill-treatment? Do you have an awareness of them as precious creatures of God? This course will introduce key themes in the field of Animal Theology within the context of the Quaker faith. Looking at biblical, Buddhist and scientific understanding, we will ask how our lives of active witness might realise the common bonds we share with other species, and extend our vision of the peaceable kingdom.

Course Leader Information

Martin Layton is a Senior Programme Leader at Woodbrooke. His interest is in exploring how Quaker spirituality strengthens our lives of active witness.Steve Palmer is a teacher and a percussionist. The Gandhian idea of ahimsa has inspired him to look for practical ways to extend his own circle of compassion.

The Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) is very disappointed at the newly released recommendation by EFRA that the RSPCA should be stripped of its prosecution powers.The recommendation comes from the EFRA Enquiry into the effectiveness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 with regard to domestic pets, to which AIA submitted evidence earlier this year.

The enquiry was supposed to investigate important issues such as how effective the Animal Welfare Act 2006 was with regard to protecting companion animals, particularly in the area of online sales and advertising, and covered key issues such as the over-production of companion animals, puppy farms and the current crises in the numbers of unwanted dogs, cats and equines.

But it appears that these important issues have been overshadowed by the Enquiry’s recommendation that the RSPCA should be stripped of its prosecution powers.

An AIA spokesperson said, ‘It is very disappointing that the EFRA Enquiry should make this recommendation and it appears that the whole enquiry was a sham, organised by a pro-foxhunting minority who dominated the committee to ensure that they would be protected from future prosecutions for their illegal hunting activities.What a wasted opportunity to address the urgent issue of the over-production of companion animals’.

AIA applauds the excellent work of the RSPCA in enforcing current animal welfare legislation, often in very difficult circumstances.It would be marvellous if the police, local authorities and the CPS fully took on this responsibility and it was not left to a charity to undertake this work.But with their own issues over the allocation of their limited resources, this hasn’t happened and is unlikely to happen in the future.If the RSPCA does not prosecute and enforce existing animal welfare legislation, then who will protect the most vulnerable animals in our society?

AIA member organisations and many others remembered the animals who gave their lives in war at the ASWA memorial service for animals at the Park Lane Animals in War Memorial at 3.00pm on Sunday 13th November.

The service was led by Revd. Dr Helen Hall and included readings from Revelations, War Horse and Glowworms; intercessions by Revd. Professor Martin Henig and an address by Pen Farthing of Nowzad Dogs. After the two minutes silence, wreaths were laid for the millions of animals who have given their lives in war.

They had no choice.

Happy Interfaith Week. This week The Animal Interfaith Alliance will be celebrating the the fact that all faiths share The Golden Rule – to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself – and that those ‘others’ include all sentient beings.

The 25th November is Meatless Pledge Day, also the birthday of Sadhu Vaswani.

AIA Hindu member organisation, the Sadhu Vaswani Centre UK, is taking part in the international Sadhu Vaswani Mission’s Meatless Pledge Day. Join people from all over the globe in signing the pledge form and sending it in. The form and details of where to send it arehere